A bicyclist rides in the bike lane Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 in Minneapolis. As conflict between motorists and cyclists happens, a Republican state lawmaker wants to require cyclists to go through a safety training program and pay for a permit to use the protected bike lanes. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

A rural Minnesota lawmaker is suggesting that bicyclists be required to undergo safety training and get a special permit to use dedicated traffic lanes, an idea that quickly drew scorn from cyclists who called the idea misguided.

Rep. Duane Quam, a Republican from Byron, said he wasn’t out to make life difficult for bikers. Quam said he was simply worried that a lack of education about biking laws was making riders unsafe.

“Let’s do it when we have the time to give due diligence and have full input and discussion on it,” Quam said. “There are times when something tragic happens and that is the impetus to ‘Now we have to do something quickly’ and you spend the next year fixing the unintended consequences.”

After Quam’s idea surfaced Thursday, it drew a quick backlash on social media, with many Twitter users calling it pointless overregulation.

Ethan Fawley, executive director of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, said Quam’s legislation would do nothing but make riding more cumbersome.

“Obviously, I think that people who bicycle in urban areas around the state are feeling upset, misunderstood and confused by the proposal,” he said. “(It) isn’t solving any particular problem that anyone knows about.”

Much like obtaining a driver’s license, bicyclists would be required to attend an educational program and pass an exam while riders under 15 years old would be banned from using bike lanes.

Quam said he looked to motorcycle law as a basis for the rules, he said, and tailored them to better fit cyclists’ needs. Quam said he is willing to compromise on the bill and would be amenable to add provisions to allow children to ride with their permitted parents, waive the $5 permit fee for low-income riders and accept testing that is done through schools.

But bicycle advocates said there are already robust biker education programs taking place in schools and driver’s education classes.

Dorian Grilley, executive director of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, said the group collaborates with schools to teach young drivers how to share the road. Years ago, students used to be taught safety tips in school, he said, but those programs were scrapped after funding was cut. Programs are slowly being reintroduced into schools, he said.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in Government & Politics

With the appointment of Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to replace U.S. Sen. Al Franken, Minnesota will join five other states in being represented by two women senators. Smith and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar will join the current female Senate duos of Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris of California and Jeanne Shaheen and Margaret Wood Hassan of New Hampshire. Kansas, Maine...

The Minnesota Constitution requires that when Tina Smith leaves, the president of the Senate takes the lieutenant governor’s role — and quits the Senate, Democrats say. But Republican Senate President Michelle Fischbach says she can do both.

WASHINGTON — Republican leaders on Wednesday agreed on a revised plan to cut taxes that would lower the corporate rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, and drop the top individual rate for the richest Americans to 37 percent, according to GOP senators and others briefed on the deal. The tentative accord marked a significant step in the GOP push...

Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday appointed Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to replace U.S. Sen Al Franken, who is resigning. Here are some reactions. U.S. SEN. AL FRANKEN “Tina Smith will make an excellent United States Senator. She is a dedicated public servant who’s worked tirelessly on behalf of Minnesotans, and Governor Dayton couldn’t have made a better choice for this...